Seroprevalence of brucellosis antibodies and associated risk factors among the hospitalized patient, Aleppo, Syria: a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Introduction and importance: Brucellosis is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world, especially in developing countries. Recent reports show that Syria is among the top ten countries where brucellosis is most prevalent. The purpose of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis antibodies among the hospitalized patients, in one of the largest hospitals in northern Syria. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the hospitalized patients. The authors used a questionnaire to collect sociodemographic and brucellosis-related data from the patients. The authors also collected blood samples from these patients to be screened for brucellosis antibodies using Wright Coombs Agglutination and 2-mercaptoethanol tests, during the period from November 2021 and March 2022. Results: Among the 776 patients who were recruited in the study, the seroprevalence of brucellosis antibodies was 13.1% (n=776). The highest prevalence was among the female sex (16.7%, n=298), middle aged group 12-40 years (24.1%, n=116), and patients with history of brucellosis (30.1%, n=53). Among the positive samples, the findings of 2-mercaptoethanol tests show that (14.7%, n=102) were positive (presence of IgG Antibodies), and (75.5%, n=102) were negative. Conclusion: This study is the first to describe the epidemiology of brucellosis in northern Syria. It clearly shows high rates of positivity, which reflects immense challenges facing the public health sector in Syria. The best next step in light of this crisis is to raise awareness among population about brucellosis and its risk factor.

Chronic Atypical Neutrophilic Dermatosis With Lipodystrophy and Elevated Temperature Syndrome: A Systemic Review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperature syndrome is a rare, hereditary, autoinflammatory disease. However, there are few cases reported in the literature. Therefore, we conduct this systematic review to summarize current evidence. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in July 2021 using 11 different electronic databases. The included articles were screened according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria and assessed using an appropriate quality assessment tool. Then, the relevant data were extracted and summarized in tables accordingly. Each step of the previous one was done by 3 independent reviewers, and the conflicts were resolved by discussion and sometimes by counseling a senior member. RESULTS: The final included studies were 18 articles with 34 cases (mean age = 8 years, male/female = 19/15). The most reported symptoms and signs were fever 97.1%, erythematous plaques 76.5%, arthralgia 67.6%, hepatomegaly 61.8%, violaceous hue 61.8%, lipodystrophy in extremities 53.1% in addition to low weight and height. Rare features were reported too. The laboratories were not specific, which may be explained by a systemic inflammatory response. Vasculitis was the dominant feature in the skin biopsy, whereas the calcification in the basal ganglia was a prominent sign in many cases. CONCLUSIONS: Fever, skin lesions, and systemic inflammatory response were the prominent features of chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperature syndrome. The clinical picture is the main guide in addition to the pathological findings. Mutation detection is the confirmatory test. Prednisolone is the most effective reported treatment for acute presentations in the literature.

Adult Hirschprung's disease diagnosed postoperatively: A case report.

Background: Hirschprung's Disease (HD) is a congenital disease where the ganglion cells that innervate the colon fail to migrate. Most cases are diagnosed during childhood, however, in rare cases it can go unnoticed until adulthood. Case presentation: We present a case of a 40-year-old-man who had been managing his chronic constipation with an atypical diet, until he was diagnosed with HD following an emergent abdominal surgery due to unresolved constipation. His diagnosis was delayed mainly out of fear of medical procedures. The surgery was later complicated and followed by a second and a final third and definitive surgery, suitable for the diagnosis of HD. Conclusion: HD should be included in the differential diagnosis of constipation even in this age. Also, patient awareness should be increased to ensure better quality of life.

A rare case of bowel intussusception due to adenocarcinomatous polyp in a 14 year-old child: case report.

BACKGROUND: Intussusception is a form of intestinal obstruction in which a segment of the bowel prolapses into a more distal segment. It is an uncommon condition in children older than 2 years and causes intestinal obstruction. On the contrary of adult intussusception, childhood intussusception does not usually happen on a lead point of a malignant organic lesion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 14-year-old male presented with complaints of heavy, bilious emesis and periumbilical colicky pain. Ultrasonography showed a dilated intestinal loop with absent bowel movement. CT scan revealed two masses in the abdomen. We performed an exploratory laparotomy that revealed invaginated intestines and showed a polyp near the area of interest. Necrotic segments and the polyp were removed and examined pathologically. Pathology showed adenocarcinoma in the polyp. After surgery, the general condition of the patient was normal and no complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Intussusception mainly occurs during infancy and early childhood. Mostly it is an idiopathic ileo-colic invagination. In our case, the patient had a jejuno-jejunal intussusception in his late childhood, and the lead point was an adenocarcinomatous polyp, which is rare in children. Amongst the many types of treatment, we chose surgical resection because of patient's age.